Abstract:
This study examined the qualifying portfolios of graduates of an alternative teacher
licensure program to determine the extent to which the teachers evidenced effective
instructional strategies for English language learners (ELLs). All study participants
taught during the 2004-2005 school year in elementary classrooms in New York City
public schools where at least 20% of the students were ELLs. The teachers in this study
graduated from the Mercy College New Teacher Residency Program, a master’s degree
and alternative teacher licensure program. This study used the standards for the
preparation of teachers of ELLs produced by Teachers of English to Speakers of Other
Languages (TESOL) and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
(NCATE) and the relevant research on the effective instruction of ELLs as an evaluative
framework. Data revealed that the study participants did not satisfy the requirements of
the TESOL/NCATE standards. However, the teachers demonstrated some instructional
practices effective for ELLs as defined in the TESOL/NCATE standards and the research
literature by implementing content-area instruction that was assessment-driven,
standards-based, and differentiated according to students’ academic needs.
